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Spessartine crystals
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum
Spessartine crystals
© Bill Lechner
MnAl(SiO
Spessartine, a member of the garnet group, is a rare mineral at Mont Saint-Hilaire.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is usually beige to brown.
Luster is vitreous to adamantine.
Diaphaneity is transparent to opaque.
Crystal System is isometric; Ia
Crystal Habits include embedded crude rounded crystals to 5mm.
Cleavage none observed.
Fracture is subconchoidal.
Hardness is 7 – 7.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.2 g/cm
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include albite, arsenopyrite, pyrite and pyrrhotite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and luster.
Origin: Named in 1832 after its discovery locality, in the Spessart region,
northwest Bavaria, Germany.
CLASSIFICATION:
Dana System
# 51.4.3a.3
Strunz Classification
# VIII/A.08-30
REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:339 (1990), Dana 8:1041-1043 (1997)
DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:
MSH
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